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Eurovision Song Contest 2015 |OT| Austro-Australovision

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France had apparently impressed a bit a couple days ago in the pre-show, I'd be curious to know whether they would have indeed missed the finals. Very possible, though...

Here was the journalists votes :
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What I find interesting is that the bookmakers top 5 (Sweden, Russia, Italia, Belgium, Australia) was right, if I'm not mistaken.

I liked France's song but with that much competition they didn't have a chance. Though Austria and Germany getting 2 points from their guests there is too honest. I imagine some head would roll if we hosted a contest and flunked right at the pre-vote.
 
I still struggle to believe that people take this seriously.

It is a fun watch - especially in the UK with the sarcastic commentary, but the goofyness makes it because it is actually pretty shit music wise.
 
People prefer music from similar and known cultures, thus neighbors have huge advantages. Also Russia can export their culture to more countries compared to Azerbaijan or Georgia. This gives them some base points, with a decent song they can turn this into a victory.
Similar effect can be seen around balkans and scandinavia but these regions don't have a culture pusher like Russia.

 

Koren

Member
I liked France's song but with that much competition they didn't have a chance.
Never thought they had a chance... But passing the semifinals could have been doable, I think.

Weird. What's the role of the jury from those two countries? Can ESC say "fuck your jury" and make 100% of the televote count even though the country intended to do some type of 50/50 split?
The 50/50 split between a jury of 5 persons (never understood who the where) and televoting is mandatory for the ESC:

http://www.eurovision.tv/page/about/voting

If I understood correctly, only the televoting (no jury) has been used for those two countries, and that's the reason for the problem?
 
Jury votes have been nullified before, like last year when Georgia's 5 jury members voted the exact same way for every single act. There are also persistent grumblings about Armenia and Azerbaijan's juries, which reliably give each other 0 points every year.
 
The 50/50 split between a jury of 5 persons (never understood who the where) and televoting is mandatory for the ESC:

http://www.eurovision.tv/page/about/voting

If I understood correctly, only the televoting (no jury) has been used for those two countries, and that's the reason for the problem?

The 5 jurists are people from the music industry of the respective country - musicians, producers, writers, that kinda stuff.

And no, they observed some stuff with the Montenegrin and Macedonian juries, so they excluded their votes and only used the televotings for those 2 countries.
 

Koren

Member
The 5 jurists are people from the music industry of the respective country - musicians, producers, writers, that kinda stuff.
Yes, I've seen a couple names for my national jury, but I'm still wondering how it works... (how they're chosen, in particular)

And no, they observed some stuff with the Montenegrin and Macedonian juries, so they excluded their votes and only used the televotings for those 2 countries.
Yes, after re-reading, that's what I finally concluded. That's strange...
 

Rapstah

Member
The 50/50 split between a jury of 5 persons (never understood who the where) and televoting is mandatory for the ESC:

http://www.eurovision.tv/page/about/voting

If I understood correctly, only the televoting (no jury) has been used for those two countries, and that's the reason for the problem?

That, or ESC made televoting count for 100% because the jury was already disqualified because the weren't the same people who voted for the semifinals:
Professional juries are also required to vote. They determine 50% of the outcome. The jury, which consists of five members (including a chairperson) is the same jury that voted in one of the Semi-Finals. They will watch live and rank all songs based on the second Dress Rehearsal, the so called Jury Final;
This rule basically says Eurovision calculates the final score by combining the 50% from the jury (which was already done before the final based on the second dress rehearsal, as said in the quote above) and the 50% the country reports from the televote:
The EBU’s voting partner digame will determine the national result by merging these two ranked lists, and will award 12 points to the country with the best combined rank of the jury and the televoting, then 10 points to country with the second-best combined rank, etc. The country ranked 10th in the combined ranking receives 1 point;
There are also these rules:
The jury consists of a variety of members in terms of age, gender, and background;
All jury members must be citizens of the country they are representing;
None of the jury members must be connected to any of the participating songs/artists in such a way that they cannot vote independently. The participating broadcasters must send a letter of compliance with the voting instructions together with signed declarations by each jury member stating that they will vote independently;
The names of the jury members must be revealed by the relevant participating broadcasters during the Final;
Each jury member of each national jury must rank all songs in the show;
The combined rank of each country’s jury members determines the jury result of that particular country;
By judging each song each jury member will focus on the vocal capacity of the artist(s), the performance on stage, the composition and originality of the song, and the overall impression by the act.
Maybe someone was found to be related to an artist or they were all 55-year-old men who judged entries based on how hot the singer was.

Like NeoGAF did.
 
I dunno, I've been thinking about this a bit, and even though a lot of people see Eurovision as corrupt and subject to political bias etc., I still really like the concept and presentation of the show. It's awesome, seeing countries of all sizes and 'influence' come together like this in creative expression.

It's one of the rare moments in the year where I have genuine thoughts like "Y'know what, the Moldavians are alright", or "Hey, Azerbaijan are pretty cool".

Heh.
 
Übermatik;164973597 said:
I dunno, I've been thinking about this a bit, and even though a lot of people see Eurovision as corrupt and subject to political bias etc., I still really like the concept and presentation of the show. It's awesome, seeing countries of all sizes and 'influence' come together like this in creative expression.

It's one of the rare moments in the year where I have genuine thoughts like "Y'know what, the Moldavians are alright", or "Hey, Azerbaijan are pretty cool".

Heh.

You can be cynical and still enjoy the spectacle and celebration of different cultures, etc.

The way the EBU handled the Azerbaijan contest was all kinds of gross, but the show itself was still fine. And it's obviously a huge deal for the performers, who usually don't deserve to be caught up in the external political firestorms.
 

mnz

Unconfirmed Member
Haha Germany 0 Points.

I also heard that Alexa Feser was one of the participants of the qualifying in Germany, is that true? If so, why the hell didn't we vote for her? She would probably also only got a few points but at least it would have been a song to not be ashamed of.
The thing is...the guy that actually won didn't want go and he beat Ann Sophie convincingly. Without him, Alexa probably would've won, because he gobbled up all the "singer/songwriter" votes.

Also, she would've sung in German, that would have been a big plus I think.
 
You can be cynical and still enjoy the spectacle and celebration of different cultures, etc.
And it's obviously a huge deal for the performers, who usually don't deserve to be caught up in the external political firestorms.

Yeah this is it really, it's good seeing people from around the world perform.

The way the EBU handled the Azerbaijan contest was all kinds of gross, but the show itself was still fine.

What happened here?
 
Sweden is basically the fifth of the big four at this point.

Sixth. There's already 5 Big Five. :p

And it's obviously a huge deal for the performers, who usually don't deserve to be caught up in the external political firestorms.

Absolutely agreed. I was so touched by Conchita and Alice Tumler (one of the narrators) standing up for Polina when she was getting boo'd a lot by the crowd.
I really hope the girl will be alright, after the shit she went through with the media lately and what she said... :c
 
Übermatik;164974488 said:
What happened here?

Lots of stuff, but basically:

the EBU's platform is clear that its participating members have certain basic standards, such as press freedoms, support for basic human rights, etc. When Azerbaijan won the contest and got the right to host in 2012, their abhorrent human rights record was put under the spotlight and EBU officials spent that entire year making excuses for Azerbaijan's government and sidestepping difficult questions.


They tried to soften the criticism by not punishing Loreen (that year's eventual winner) when she met with local human rights groups, but the whole thing was a mess. The EBU was probably much happier when the contest went to the more politically safe Sweden the following year.
 

Xater

Member
The thing is...the guy that actually won didn't want go and he beat Ann Sophie convincingly. Without him, Alexa probably would've won, because he gobbled up all the "singer/songwriter" votes.

Also, she would've sung in German, that would have been a big plus I think.

I did not pay attention to the whole process of finding someone for the ESC. So we didn't actually send the person who won? No wonder this song that did end up there performed so poorly.
 
Lots of stuff, but basically:

the EBU's platform is clear that its participating members have certain basic standards, such as press freedoms, support for basic human rights, etc. When Azerbaijan won the contest and got the right to host in 2012, their abhorrent human rights record was put under the spotlight and EBU officials spent that entire year making excuses for Azerbaijan's government and sidestepping difficult questions.


They tried to soften the criticism by not punishing Loreen (that year's eventual winner) when she met with local human rights groups, but the whole thing was a mess. The EBU was probably much happier when the contest went to the more politically safe Sweden the following year.

I always wondered what would happen if Armenia won at Azerbaijan or Cyprus won in Turkey, Kosovo won in Russia?
How would they handle that, I assume they'll have a plan for it.
 
I always wondered what would happen if Armenia won at Azerbaijan or Cyprus won in Turkey, Kosovo won in Russia?
How would they handle that, I assume they'll have a plan for it.

Armenia didn't even participate in Baku, it was one of the many controversies that year. They were fined by the EBU for pulling out before the contest. I imagine there would be similar awkward arrangements re: Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Russia, etc.

It sucks for those of us who just want a fun, big party :(
 
Armenia didn't even participate in Baku, it was one of the many controversies that year. They were fined by the EBU for pulling out before the contest. I imagine there would be similar awkward arrangements re: Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Russia, etc.

It sucks for those of us who just want a fun, big party :(

Georgia withdrew from the contest in Russia 2008, actually, that was when that whole South Ossetia thing happened.
 
Georgia withdrew from the contest in Russia 2008, actually, that was when that whole South Ossetia thing happened.

was that the "We Don't Wanna Put In" year?

It was somewhere around there, iirc


I also wish Lebanon/Morocco/etc. would participate, lots of talent in those countries :(

I hope the EBU officially recognizes Kosovo at some point, too
 
Why can't Europe appreciate a good piano burning?

For the same reason Austria can't appreciate a good Electrococo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DNbKMAgKIo

Man I'm still so upset they didn't get chosen. They had everything a good Eurovision song needs: dancey-ness, great stage show potential and that little weirdness you need.

was that the "We Don't Wanna Put In" year?

It was somewhere around there, iirc


I also wish Lebanon/Morocco/etc. would participate, lots of talent in those countries :(

I hope the EBU officially recognizes Kosovo at some point, too

Yeah.
I hope that newer, second Moroccan broadcaster becomes a member of the EBU, apparently they're more liberal than the current one, and apparently there's been expressions of interest from them to have Morocco return to the contest as well.

I'm surprised Egypt hasn't taken a shot though. Their relationship with Israel is more stable than any other country's (iirc), and they've been fairly Euro-friendly as well.
 

Violet_0

Banned
so will Polina ever see her family again?
Russia (and Belgium) had the best songs imo and political voting kind of sucks
 
I've been reading post-show Eurovision recaps since... I think it was the year with "you have never been to my show" but I followed the whole finals live this year for the first time. Admittedly it wasn't one of the "fun" years, but that helped to get a feel for how everything worked, you know?

Put me down in the Belgium camp. And this thread is truly one of the best.
 
Full voting results released.

Time to comb through and find all the crazy discrepancies between the televote and the juries.


"The first Semi-Final saw Russia placed first with 182 points, followed by Belgium with 149 points, and then third was Estonia with 105 points.

The second Semi-Final saw Sweden placed first with 217 points, followed by Latvia with 155 points, and then third was Israel with 151 points."
 
Didn't get to see the final-final (since it's on waaaaay too early in Australia), but I really liked Latvia's entry. Was sad to hear she didn't get it in the end. Sweden's entry was cool because of the background images/choreography, and the song wasn't bad, but Latvia > Sweden for sure.

And, compared to the butter churning entry I heard about from some other year, my first taste of Eurovision seemed really tame. A fun night full of snarky commentary, though.
 

Jonnax

Member
Full voting results released.

Time to comb through and find all the crazy discrepancies between the televote and the juries.


"The first Semi-Final saw Russia placed first with 182 points, followed by Belgium with 149 points, and then third was Estonia with 105 points.

The second Semi-Final saw Sweden placed first with 217 points, followed by Latvia with 155 points, and then third was Israel with 151 points."

This jury business is bollocks. The televote put Lithuania as the first result. But when combined with the jury they were 7th for the UK.

What's the point of the voting if it doesn't represent the voters?
 
This jury business is bollocks. The televote put Lithuania as the first result. But when combined with the jury they were 7th for the UK.

What's the point of the voting if it doesn't represent the voters?

The point is so the bloc/diaspora voting is reduced.
Granted, it doesn't matter anyway, because it still sorta happens, and a lot of it is perceived anyway (i.e. the songs that take the lead normally do so even without diaspora/bloc help), it really only helps countries in the center areas.
But you know, if the big spenders like Germany or the UK threaten to pull out of the contest (and their funding is substantial for it), you'll do whatever makes them happy, too.
 

oti

Banned
The entire German jury had Latvia on number 1.
The Greek jury really hated Israel for some reason. Screw you, they were the better Greece this year. No reason to be so salty "experts".
 

Jasper

Member
Azerbaijan's participation in Eurovision has always been irritating because:

1) Azerbaijan have been busted for cheating in Eurovision by offering bribes. In fact Eurovision had to change their rules because of Azerbaijan's shady bribery tactics (and stop Azerbaijan from trying to cheat again).

Here's an undercover documentary from the BBC (from the UK) called "Eurovision's Dirty Secret Azerbaijan"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oea2XGsIbvI

2) If someone in Azerbaijan votes for Azerbaijan's neighbouring country Armenia, the police have tracked those people down, dragged them to a police station, and questioned those people for why they voted for the "enemy" (and have also tried to arrest them).

Azerbaijan television have also in the past blocked Armenia's entry in Eurovision airing on Azeri television (they literally block the video & sound when it's Armenia's turn to perform).

For the police to get involved and drag people to police stations for simply voting for a song, and for the television bosses to shut down the television signal when a country they don't like is performing....what the fuck is this country thinking, are they another Iran or Saudi Arabia?

3). Nearly all the time, Azerbaijan pays a shitload of money to have non-Azeri's from around the world - put together Azerbaijan's Eurovision entry. The song-writer, song producer, song composer, music video producer, dancers on stage, etc....are 99% of the time foreigners and not Azeri's - and I don't think that's what Eurovision is about.

Since Azerbaijan's entry in Eurovision, just 1 song was actually written and composed by an Azeri. Every other song, Azerbaijan have had to pay other people from other countries to write and compose Azerbaijan's Eurovision entry (and that includes this years entry from Azerbaijan - yet again another song that has been written, produced, and composed by someone in Sweden on behalf of Azerbaijan ).

It's terrible because it makes Azerbaijan look like a joke (and uncreative) that they can't write and compose their own songs, and need to rely on non-Azeri's to do it for them.
 

Joni

Member
Italy wasn't my style, but all the other high scoring numbers were awesome. Glad Sweden won as I predicted. Russia deserved it too, but that would have been problematic.
 
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